Dead Faith
by LilyxLithium
Summary: If the love of your life was murdered, how would you deal? Two years after the death of Jin Kazama, Julia Chang struggles to get on with her life heading down an uncharted road. But she just might be loosing herself along the way. Set after Tekken 3
1. Like Crawling Over Broken Glass

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Tekken or any of the characters. They all belong to Namco.**_

_**A/N:**__ I'm finally back in the world of Tekken fan fiction. And man has it been a while. The first chapter of the story your about to read is a renewed and revised version of "Save Me." I decided to scrap the other one, 'cause let's face it, it was horrible. My writing left nothing to be desired. And it didn't come out right the first time around. But now since it's been a few years, I reread the old version with fresh eyes. And decided to breathe some life back into it; hopefully with this new facelift and a whole new title name, it will keep my interest long enough to finish it, along with yours. Enjoy. _

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**Chapter 1:**

_Like Crawling Over Broken Glass_

She walked into the club like she owned the place. Dressed in tight black leather pants, and a red see-through tank top, Julia Chang grabbed a guy by the wrist nearest to the entrance and dragged him out onto the dance floor. The stranger didn't object of course. Who would? She was beautiful. Julia and her partner began to dance. Grinding their bodies together to the rhythm of the music; for almost an hour they were lost in the beat.

Until "_she_" came.

"Excuse me!" Julia felt a sharp tap on her shoulder. _If I ignore her maybe she'll go away,_ Julia mused.

The tap came again, more sharply this time, "Hey! I said _excuse me!"_

At this point Julia was getting pissed. She glanced over her shoulder and smirked, "You're excused." Julia turned back to the man who was enjoying himself and began to dance even more seductively with him, wrapping her arms around his neck bringing him closer to her body.

"That's my boyfriend!" The girl standing behind Julia cried.

"Really?" Julia asked as she turned around to face the girl, a neatly plucked eyebrow raised in speculation.

"Yeah." The girl replied.

"Huh," Julia looked back at the guy in front of her, running her gaze over his body; she reached up and yanked his shirt collar down so she could look at his bare chest. "I don't see _your_ name on him anywhere."

"Zack, do something!" The girl squealed in a high-pitched whine.

"Yeah, Zack," Julia taunted in her own interpretation of the girl's annoying voice, "do something!"

And without a second thought, Julia turned on her heel and sucker-punched the girl behind her in the face, her fist making contact with the girl's button nose. There was a sickening crunch and the girl's head snapped back from the force of the blow. With blood spurting out of her nose and down the back of her throat, the young girl lost her footing and slammed into the wall behind her, sliding down it, unconscious. With the scene unfolding before his blurry blood-shot eyes, Zack was sobering up quickly as he took in the sight of his broken girlfriend on the floor. He looked from his girlfriend, to Julia, and back again; a frown creasing his forehead.

Zack cocked his right arm back, his fist aimed at Julia's head. A look of determination etched across his features; ready to extract vengeance on the broad in front of him for his fallen girlfriend.

_Hey, I didn't know he had a girlfriend_ Julia thought suddenly. Before Zack had a chance to launch his fist at her face, Julia reached out and clamped her right hand around his wrist, pulling him towards her. In his semi-drunken state, Zack lost his balance and stumbled forward. Her left hand snaking around his neck to grab the back of his collar, she spun Zack around so his back was to her. With her hand still on the back of his neck, Julia slammed his face down hard on the granite bar top before him. There was a loud snapping sound, and one could only guess that all the bones in his nose had splintered into tiny fragments.

_Man, that's gonna hurt like hell in the morning_, Julia thought without one ounce of remorse for her actions as blood began to spread into a shallow pool around Zack's cheek. With a satisfied smirk, Julia Chang released her victim, sighed and turned to walk away.

"Uhhh…" came a muffled agonized moan from behind. Julia stopped in her tracks, turned her head slightly to the side and glanced over her shoulder. Zack slowly pushed himself away from the counter and swayed on his feet. Crimson streams of blood were trickling down his face and dripping off the end of his chin, splashing on to the cement floor of the club. _If he doesn't walk away right now, he's in for a rude awakening,_ Julia thought angrily, glaring at him over her shoulder. Sure enough, Zack started to make his way towards her, to continue his sloppy assault. He lurched forward letting a swing fly. _I can read this guy like an open book, _Julia dodged his swing, feeling the shift in the air as his fist missed the side of her head. Using the back of her hand, Julia struck Zack across the face. His bald head snapped back only to face her again with a red angry welt rising on his left cheek.

Not waiting for another messy attack by the rookie fighter, Julia did a quick spinning kick to the side of Zack's head. The sharp kick caused Zack to teeter slightly and then loose his balance completely. As he fell, Zack knocked into a fellow dancer. That's when all hell broke loose. It was a domino effect really. The guy Zack hit, stumbled and fell into the girl he was dancing with.

In the blink of an eye, the club turned into a sea of flying limbs, unintelligible screaming and yelling was drowned out by the music pounding out of the ceiling speakers in every corner of the room. Smack dab in the middle of the bedlam, Julia began to dance. She raised her arms over her head and crossed her wrists. The pose made her seem as if she was imploring some ancient deity for guidance. As the music caught on to a steady rhythm, she swung her hips from side to side. The beat of the music reminding her of a heartbeat; with the beat humming through her chest, Julia thought of Jin. She remembered how they used to lay in bed together, Julia's head resting on his bare chest just listening to his strong steady heartbeat. _Thump-thump, thump-thump._ She had found it oddly comforting; it was like her own little lullaby. Julia danced like this to the beat of an imaginary heartbeat well into the night.

In the darkest corner of the club a lone figure stood vigilant in the shadows, watching a young woman dancing her heart out on the dance floor. The shadow was dressed in black jeans and a dark navy blue sweatshirt covered the upper half of his body. His sweatshirt's hood covering the majority of his features, his long bangs hung in his eyes. He had witnessed the entire scene. He had watched her sway her hips in time with the music, saw her dance with a tall handsome stranger, all the while a flame of jealousy sparked deep within him at the sight of that erotic display. The confrontation with the man's girlfriend, and stood dumbstruck as Julia attacked the girl without a hint of hesitation. No remorse whatsoever in her eyes. All he could see was a never ending abyss of emptiness; he shuddered at the sight of them. Had seen the entire fight with the girl's boyfriend and now Julia was dancing in the middle of the biggest bar fight he had ever seen. And his Julia was the cause of it all. Jin was crushed, _what happened to the girl I fell in love with? What happened to the girl who always smiled and would never be caught dead in a place like this?_

Then Jin remembered.

_What have I done?_

_What have I done…?_

_**A/N: **So, what did you think? Please review, constructive criticism is always welcome. R+RL:_


	2. Living Dead Girl and Mirror Me

**A/N:** I want to thank the following people for reviewing the first chapter of my fic: **Keia101, NCTeKkEn08, UP3NP4T3LROCK5, Niveus, **and last but not least, **xblacksugarx. **Your reviews mean a lot to me, just knowing that my work is being appreciated swells my heart with joy. And knowing that people are actually taking the time to read it couldn't make me happier. But even with all this happiness, I'm slightly panicking. I really do not want to screw up on this fic again. It would kill me if that happened. I'm trying my hardest to stay true to the characters in the game so they don't come off as too OOC.

But with the events that I'm planning to put these characters through are bound to change them, to the point where they are likely to be unrecognizable. Please don't get discouraged and angry with this story. I'm writing it to make you see and feel things differently towards these characters. And if you do feel something, anything, I've done my job. So, here's the next installment. Enjoy!

**Special note to NCTeKkEn08: **Thank you so much for that thought out review, it's really helped. And while reading it, it seems that you've put so much faith in my storytelling abilities. I'm afraid to let you down. :)

* * *

Chapter 2: 

**Living Dead Girl and Mirror Me**

_It occurs to her that what she most appreciates about this City of the Angels_

_Is that which is missing, the voids, the unstitched borders, the empty corridors,_

_The not yet deciphered. She is grateful for the absence of history._

--Kate Braverman, _Palm Latitudes, _1988

//// 

The morning sun peeked over the horizon of downtown Los Angeles; setting the cement landscape ablaze in bright hues of orange and pink, piercing the smog that seemed to permanently hang over the city like a dirty halo. Traffic on the 110 freeway was congested, horns honked at regular intervals. Jin Kazama turned away from the huge bay window of his second story motel room that over-looked the freeway and closed the drapes, blocking out the early morning sun.

With a sigh, Jin sunk down heavily onto the queen-sized bed centered in the middle of the room and reached for the remote control resting by his side. Turning the power on, Jin flipped through the channels with no real interest. Through his channel surfing, Jin came across the news, the current story grabbing his attention instantly.

"At 2 a.m. this morning, a young woman was found brutally murdered in her apartment, on Sunset Boulevard. Police arrived at the scene after a neighbor called in saying they heard gunshots coming from the apartment next door. Police say the woman was shot in the chest multiple times," the anchorman said into the camera relaying the latest breaking news, his eyes devoid of any emotion, "It seems that the cause of the murder was a break in and most of the woman's valuables have gone missing. More on this story as it becomes available," Suddenly the anchorman smiled, "Now back to Chip for your latest morning traffic update."

Jin snapped the television off and tossed the remote onto the armchair across the room. He groaned and rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes, as if to erase a horrific memory he didn't want to face. _I don't understand. Why is she here? Why did she choose this city of all places to run away from her life, her problems? It seems like this place could only bring her more grief, more pain. She doesn't belong in this town; she's too good for this. _Opening his eyes, Jin stood up from his perch on the bed and began to rifle through his strewn clothes on the bedroom floor. Once he found it, Jin flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The phone rang five times before someone finally picked up.

"'Ello?" came a yawn over the other end of the line.

"'Rang."

"Jin?" the voice on the other end inquired.

"Yeah, it's me."

"It's about damn time you called me back. I was getting worried."

"I saw her last night, at the club. Just where you said I'd find her." Jin whispered.

"Hmm…How did she look?" The Korean asked.

"You should have seen her, 'Rang. She was so…different." Jin said; a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Where are you now?" Hwoarang asked after a beat.

"I'm staying at a Best Western next to the over-pass from the 110 to the 405 freeway." Jin replied.

"Sit tight, I'm on my way."

A blast of dead air hit Jin's ear, and he was left to sit in his dark room; alone.

//// 

"Good morning Downtown Los Angeles!" Screeched the clock radio on the nightstand next to the bed Julia was passed out on.

"Huh? Just five more minutes mom, please!" Julia mumbled from underneath the sheets.

But her pleas came unheeded, "The forecast today will be sunny, with highs in the 80's in-land and low 70's near the beach. Ditch the office and grab your beach towel folks, its going to be another—," Julia slowly opened one eye and then the other, rolling onto her back. Squinting, she gave her eyes a minute to get accustomed to the bright light of the morning sun that was streaming through her open bedroom window. Julia turned and glared at the radio with as much hatred as she could muster towards that little monstrosity. It seemed to shrink under her heated gaze. Her hand slipped out from under the sheets and slammed down on the OFF button. With a sigh, she pushed back the covers and swung her legs over the side of her double bed.

Julia's room was slightly smaller than the one she used to have at her mother's house. Three out of the four walls of the room were painted the same pale yellow, while the remaining wall, the one on the left side of her bed, nearest to the door, was a mural of the desert mountains in the Arizona planes. Rolling red hills and rock formations expanded across the smooth surface of the wall, green and brown cactuses sprouting here and there, far off in the distance. The sky was painted a deep violet, melting into shades of dark blue to represent the coming night; twilight. A silver slice of moon peeking out over the misty clouds, and a lone white coyote sat on a mountain top, baying at the moon.

The mural took two years in the making and yet it still remained unfinished. The central part of the painting remains bare, white plaster marring the beauty of the serene setting. Deep down Julia knew there was something missing, a void she couldn't seem to fill, and try as she might; Julia couldn't bring herself to finish her masterpiece. She hadn't touched her paintbrushes in four months. They lie undisturbed, under the kitchen sink.

White lace curtains hung onto the two windows on either side of her bed, filtering the sun's harsh rays. The down comforter covering the bed; was a soft baby blue, and white pillows sat against the wrought iron headboard. Her bureau was made out of cherry oak wood; sitting atop it was a small Samsung television, with a DVD player and a VCR all in one. The nightstand placed next to the right side of her bed had iron legs and a glass top. Resting on top of the mini table was her morning enemy: the clock radio; and the other objects were two pictures residing in picture frames. One of them was a picture of her and Michelle at a local fair in Arizona two summers ago. They were both smiling at the camera, eyes hidden behind the shades of their Aviators. Their mouths open showing off sets of pearly whites.

The other was a snapshot of Jin and Julia at one of the many beaches in Japan. They were staying at a hotel in Okinawa, taking a reprieve from the King of Iron Fist Tournament 3, even if it was just for the weekend. Jin was smiling for the camera, wearing only swimming trunks, his arms wrapped around Julia's waist, holding her close. Julia, wearing a black bikini, was also smiling. She had her head resting against his shoulder, the afternoon sun shining in the background. The glare of the sun caused the sand to sparkle; making it seem as if the happy couple was standing in a sea of diamonds.

Julia picked up the frame and began to run the pads of her thumbs over the image of Jin.

_"Say cheese!" Xiaoyu squealed._

_"Cheese!" Jin and Julia yelled in unison._

_Xiaoyu pressed the button on the Polaroid camera in her hands. She caught the picture just as it was about to land on the sandy ground beneath her feet. Jin and Julia stood next to her waiting for the images to take focus. "Aww!" Xiaoyu sighed, "You guys look so cute together."_

_Jin took the picture from her hands and studied it._

_"Yeah," he said, smiling down at Julia, "we do."_

_Julia reached out and wrapped her slender hand around his larger one, and squeezed it gently. He pulled her to him and placed a tender kiss on the crown of her head._

Julia snapped back to reality. The memory vanished along with the small smile that had formed on her lips. _No point in living in the past, _Julia thought bitterly. _It doesn't change the present. _Julia slowly stood up from the bed after placing the frame back on her nightstand, and made her way to the small bathroom across the hallway. She trailed her fingertips along her painting as she passed by and out the door.

Without looking at herself in the mirror, Julia opened the medicine cabinet and took out her toothbrush. Squeezing a dime size amount of Crest toothpaste on the bristles, and shoving it into her mouth, She began to vigorously work at the plaque on her teeth. After working up enough paste suds, she spat it out. Not in the least surprised to see blood mixed in with the white froth. Julia rinsed her mouth from the tap, and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She left the toothbrush on the edge of the sink and walked out of the bathroom to the linen closet at the end of the hall.

Returning to the bathroom, Julia placed a towel on the toilet and reached her hand inside the shower, turning the knobs. She tested the water temperature to make sure it was steaming hot. She enjoyed scorching hot showers. How the water made her skin burn, it made her feel something other than dead. Julia took off the black T-shirt she was wearing along with the short shorts she used for pajamas, and stepped into the burning waterfall. As she was lathering shampoo into her hair, Julia replayed the events of last night over in her mind.

She vaguely recalled dancing with a handsome man, the confrontation with the man's girlfriend, and a massive bar fight. Julia also remembered the sensation of eyes on her, but she immediately dismissed it. There were a ton of people in that club last night, it could have been anyone. Julia turned off the shower and stepped out. She grabbed the towel off the toilet lid, wrapping it around her and stood in front of the vanity mirror. She placed a hand on the warm glass and began to wipe away the condensation. A little gasp escaped Julia's lips as she looked at her reflection. Her eyes were slightly sunken in, with bags under them. Her face was pale, as were her lips, seeming to have lost some of their natural pink color.

Julia opened the towel to look at her body. It was red from the shower and she noticed that several ribs were showing. She quickly brought the towel up around her body, shielding it from view and turned back to the mirror. Gazing into the eyes of the girl she hardly knew, Julia began to cry. Tears blurred her vision as they silently slid down her hollow cheeks.

"Oh God! Enough with the waterworks already!" Julia's reflection sneered at her.

"W-What?" Julia blinked.

MirrorJulia let out an exasperated sigh, "Stop crying. It's really pathetic."

"But I'm—," Julia began.

"I know, I know," MirrorJulia rolled her eyes, "'You're lost without your Jin' yadda, yadda, yadda."

"I'm deteriorating!" Julia cried.

MirrorJulia narrowed her eyes at her live counterpart, "Like you care," she taunted, her words dripping with venom, "you stopped caring about yourself the minute you found out he was murdered."

Julia flinched at the word.

"What? That word too harsh for you?" MirrorJulia asked scathingly, "Were you not there last night when you completely beat to a pulp that guy and his girl?"

"Shut up." Julia whispered; her head lowered in shame.

But MirrorJulia continued, "You're no better than him. You're no better than the man who killed Jin."

Sucking in a ragged breath, Julia screamed, "SHUT UP!" In her fury, she launched a fist at herself, smashing the glass. Spider web fractures spread from the center of her face, reaching up to the corners of the mirror. Looking her distorted reflection in the eye, Julia whispered severely, "I am _nothing_ like him."

The door to the bathroom pushed open and Moby, Julia's Siberian husky, bounded into the room. He ran to her and jumped up, placing his little white paws on her bare thighs, mouth open, tongue lolling, tail wagging.

"Morning Moby," Julia gave the dog a small smile, still shaken by what just happened. "You hungry?"

The puppy yelped a happy bark in response, his tail whipping from side to side. Julia laughed a little, "Ok. Let me get dressed and then I'll get us some breakfast." She rubbed his head and behind his ears affectionately. Moby jumped down, and scrambled out of the bathroom, his nails loosing traction slightly on the linoleum, on his way to the kitchen.

Julia sighed and pushed her damp hair behind her ear, "Just the beginning of another day in the life of me."

* * *

**A/N: **What'd you think? Good? Bad? Or just plain terrible? Please leave a review and tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Thank you in advance. 


	3. Pretty Lies and Ugly Truths

**A/N: **I want to thank everyone who has reviewed the recent chapters of this fic.

And as one reviewer pointed out, the first chapter of this story is extremely similar to an episode of _Angel_, in which one of the characters enters a bar and a bar fight ensues. The ep was titled "Five by Five" and written by Jim Kouf. I started this story after watching that episode on TV; it inspired me to write this. Yes, I "borrowed" the scenes from the show and I should have mentioned this earlier, but I didn't. And for that I am extremely sorry. I wanted to put that scene in my story because it gave me the incentive to begin this, and I wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite characters in the Buffyverse, as does the title (I'm surprised someone caught that). And I thought that Julia and Faith were similar in a way. All ideas for the first chapter goes to the creative genius of the people at _Buffy & Angel co._ Thank you **ChangKazama **for pointing out that extreme error on my part. Again, I am truly sorry.

/// 

Chapter 3:

**Pretty Lies and Ugly Truths**

_Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies._

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

/// 

A sharp knock on the hotel door caused Jin to snap out of his revere. Standing up and clearing his throat, he slowly walked to the door and peered through the peephole. Jin opened the door on the second impatient knock. The redheaded Korean rushed through the doorway, dressed in denim jeans, a jean jacket, and biker boots. Goggles dangled around his neck.

"I'm surprised; you actually got here on time. The 'Rang I used to know, would be a whole three hours late before he ever showed and wouldn't give a damn what other people thought." Jin smiled warily at Hwoarang's back.

Without glancing over his shoulder, Hwoarang replied, "I've changed in the last few years, I'm not who I used to be." Jin nodded, it was true. They all had changed, and not for the better.

"Nice digs you got here Kazama," Hwoarang said as he took in the room around him. Bland brown wallpaper covered all the walls in the room, royal blue colored drapes hung in front of the window, and dark green shag carpeting completed the wall-to-wall look. Bottom line: the décor needed a facelift, stat. "You could've just crashed at my place. Sure, the maid's been out for a year and a half, but at least I know how to decorate."

Jin shook his head, "You know me; I didn't want to impose." Both men locked eyes for a moment, their old friendship/rivalry resurfacing.

"Yeah," Hwoarang chuckled, "we wouldn't want that. I never thought in a million years that I would say this, but, it's good to see you again Kazama." As soon as the words left Hwoarang's mouth, he crossed the room in the blink of an eye and launched his right fist at Jin's face. Jin hadn't even seen it coming, 'Rang had moved too fast, and the blow clipped him in the jaw. Jin's head snapped to the side from the force.

Jin rolled with the punch and turned to face the Korean, rubbing his chin. With his lip split, and blood running into his mouth, Jin replied,

"I guess I deserved that."

"You guessed right," Hwoarang snapped, "and much more. But it's not my place to give it to you. It's hers."

Hwoarang turned away from Jin and moved to the armchair. He slumped down and swung his left leg over one of the arms. Jin remained where he was and wiped the blood from his mouth, and swallowing the rest. He felt as if he was gulping down a handful of pennies. A long silence hung in the air between the two young men, like the smell of something sour. And embedded deep in that smell, were all the things too painful to say out loud.

Each man had one thing on his mind and its name was Julia.

"I know you have a lot of questions," Hwoarang said, finally, "and I have a lot of questions, a shit load in fact. But before I even get started playing 20 Questions with you I need you to answer one confusing question for me first."

"What is it?"

'Rang took in a steady breath and said without preamble, "Where have you been all this time? I mean if you weren't dead, like everyone thought, where did you go? You didn't tell me much when you called me out of thin air three nights ago. I thought for a second there I was communicating with the dead on my cell phone," he chuckled lightly, but it lacked humor, "I mean, my rival turned frenemy was killed two years ago with a shot heard 'round the world. It was unbelievable hearing your voice again, not to mention fucking creepy."

Jin sighed heavily, the truth had to come out sooner or later, or it was bound to kill him if not others, "I relocated to Brisbane." At Hwoarang's confused expression, Jin decided to elaborate; apparently geography wasn't 'Rang's strong suit, "Brisbane, Australia."

The Korean's confusion did not dissipate, "But why the hell did you go there? What were you thinking! Are you—?!"

Jin held up a hand, "I answered the most important question you needed to know; now it's my turn."

"Ok," Hwoarang gave up, "hit me with your first question."

"You never told me exactly why Julia moved to LA, only where she was living. Why did she leave Arizona and the mother she just successfully rescued from my grandfather's clutches?"

'Rang stroked his chin thoughtfully with his thumb, "I can't tell you exactly why she moved, Jules and I were never that close to the point where she'd spill her guts to me. That was Xaio's MO. But I can tell you what happened that night she ran away. Or at least what Xaio told me."

/// 

"You're late!" Ty Samples called out to Julia as she walked through the front door, he was standing behind the host and hostess' podium, which was situated right under a gigantic replica of a mushroom, holding a stack of laminated menus in his hand. The plastic mushroom looked kinda like the ones you see in the Alice in Wonderland movie.

"So?" Julia yelled back at him as she weaved her way through the tables and chairs to the back of the restaurant, heading to the locker room. After feeding Moby, kibbles n' bits, and stuffing her face with a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, Julia had decided to take the puppy out for a quick stroll to the Santa Monica Pier and back, since she wasn't due into work until 10 o'clock (which was a nice change from her regular schedule). It hadn't taken long to get to the pier; her apartment building was only two blocks away. But what had started out as a simple walk turned into an all-morning-stay at the beach, perusing the boardwalk. Julia had lost track of time and glanced at her watch out of habit, and realized she had thirty minutes to drop the dog off at home and haul ass to work.

"_So,"_ Ty continued, following closely at her heels, "the Boss-Man is gonna shit a brick when he finds out." They entered the air conditioned locker room and Julia strode over to her locker. She gave the combination lock a few turns and the latch popped open. She pulled out her uniform, which consisted of a light pink shirt with a cartoon drawing of a green and yellow mushroom; that had eyes, a nose, a mouth, and black handle bar mustache. The words "The Mellow Mushroom" were scrawled underneath.

The Mellow Mushroom was a restaurant that served pizza, salads, sandwiches, and beer. But with a healthy twist. The décor of the restaurant was very "trippy." Bright colors splashed all the walls of the diner, with murals of famous people intermingled with mushroom cartoons, rainbows, and swirls. The tables scattered around the main floor looked like the stems of mushrooms just beginning to grow. Not to mention the most notable feature in the whole place, that famous plastic mushroom stationed at the front doors. A bar and a smoking section was located near the back, by the kitchen. The whole place gave off the effect of being on an acid trip with all of its vibrant colors and designs. But what could one expect from a place that was founded in the 70's?

Julia rolled her eyes as she began to pull on her mushroom shirt, discarding the white one she was previously wearing.

"Don't worry about Clampton. I'll take care of it." She pulled the rest of her shirt down around her flat stomach, and reached inside her locker again. Only to take out the dark blue apron lying on the shelf. Folding it in half, Julia tied the strings around her waist. She kicked her locker closed and walked over to the wall mirror on her right; she reached into her pocket and took out a tube of mascara.

"How?" Ty pressed as Julia began to sweep mascara onto her lashes, "What are you gonna do? I don't know about you, but Clampton puts the fear of God in me." Stopping the brush mid-sweep, Julia looked at Ty's reflection in the mirror. Ty was a year younger than Julia; he had wide-set hazel eyes which were outlined in coal-black eyeliner, a broad forehead, and a ski-jump nose. His hair was black, with crimson spikes, and long black side burns, which he proudfully dubbed as: "The Lady Killers." He wore dog tags around his left wrist, the chains tied into a tight knot. A tattoo of a scorpion was branded far up on his neck, its tail curled around his right ear, as well as other intricate designs running up and down his arms. Ty was in a band.

"I have my ways." She replied, and continued applying her make-up.

Just then the door swung open and Christie Monterio waltzed in dressed in the same outfit as Julia, only her shirt was green. Her apron was smeared with blotches of tomato sauce and flour left a ghostly handprint on her right cheek, marring her coco skin. Her long chestnut colored hair was braided into a loose French braid. Even in disarray; Christie was still breathtaking. She was what kept most of the single male costumers coming back to The Mellow Mushroom, much to the displeasure of the female portion of the staff. Christie got more attention than anyone, but what was the most shocking, was the fact that she was not at all stuck up as one would have expected her to be.

She was kind hearted, fun-loving, sarcastic, and approachable. She seemed oblivious to the eager male eyes around her, which only added to the air of attraction that surrounded her constantly. Julia was not at all threatened by Christie as were most of the other waitresses. In fact, they had become fast friends shortly after Christie's first day on the job. Christie had confided in Julia, telling her that she originally hailed from Brazil, and moved to LA to pursue a dancing career.

"Hey Jules, Ty," Christie greeted them as she approached.

"Hey Chris," Julia replied, "Did you—"

Christie held up a hand, "As of now, you have been clocked on for about forty-five minutes."

Smiling, Julia twisted the cap back onto the bottle of mascara,

"Thanks, hun. I owe you one."

Ty was looking back and forth between the two women standing before him, his brow scrunched in confusion at their conversation. Then it dawned on him, "You had Christie punch your time card in!?"

"Yup," Julia replied, smug.

"But-but that's bullshit! That's cheating!" Ty cried in indignation

"No one ever said life was fair baby. It's the ugly truth," Christie chastised him, "besides; it's called the "buddy system". Anyone ever explain that to you?"

"Well he is young." Julia pointed out.

"And so terribly innocent," Christie countered, "despite all those nasty tattoos." She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Ty, let me put it this way," Julia said as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders and looked him in the eye, "I scratch her back, she scratches mine. I'm late, she punches in my time card, she's late I do the same. I need a smoke break; she covers my shift, and vice versa. See where I'm going with this, Tyson?"

Ty nodded, "Yeah, I see it. But I still think that it's utter bullshit. How does Clampton not know you two are pulling the wool over his eyes?"

"Well, Ty, just as soon as you grow a pair of Double-Ds and perky ass, you too could pull just about anything over Clampton's eyes." Christie giggled. Julia smiled in spite of herself.

"You're not wrong there," Ty chuckled, "Since that's not going to happen anytime soon, I guess I'll just have to settle with being a Regular Joe."

"Damn straight," Julia declared, "now, let's get to work."

**A/N:** The Mellow Mushroom is an actual restaurant, but it's not located in the Los Angeles area. It's actually located in Franklin, Tennessee. I love this place so much that I had to add it in as Julia's place of employment. The way I described the diner is somewhat true, (ie: the outfits, the giant mushroom, the bar, the smoking section, the kitchen, the year it was founded, the food they serve and designs on the walls.) But the rest was made up to fit the story. I DO NOT OWN The Mellow Mushroom and I never will. I'm only borrowing the idea of it for this fic. So, please, please, PLEASE! Don't sue. I am not getting any money out of this; I'm just a happy customer boosting your morale in a non-profit way.

What'd you think? Did you like it? Are the characters too OOC? Tell me what you think! Thanks in advance.


	4. Falling Six Feet Under

Chapter 4:

**Falling Six Feet Under**

_Please come now, I think I'm falling_

_I'm holding on to all I think is safe_

_It seems I found the road to nowhere_

_And I'm trying to escape_

_I yelled back when I heard thunder_

_But I'm down to one last breath_

_And with it let me say_

_Hold me now_

_I'm six feet from the edge_

_And I'm thinking_

_That maybe six feet_

_Ain't so far down._

-Creed, "_One Last Breath."_

/// 

_Ling Xiaoyu was stretched out on the pullout couch in the living room of the Chang residence. She was dressed in a pink nightgown and her was hair pulled back in a low ponytail at the base of her neck. Ling couldn't sleep; lying on her back, eyes wide staring at the ceiling, unblinking, she kept seeing the funeral in her mind's eye. The empty oak box being lowered into the wet earth, rain cascading down the sides like silent tears; the soaked, droopy bouquet of lilies near the head of the casket. And the emotional faces of the mourners, surrounding her. These images swirled through her brain in an infinite loop._

_A loud snore filled the once quiet living room and Xiao jumped. She turned her head to the sound and glanced down at the floor. Hwoarang was sprawled out on the carpet. His head situated on a small couch pillow, wrapped in a red and pink HelloKitty blanket. Xiaoyu smiled when she looked at it, remembering the two-year-old-like tantrum 'Rang threw earlier when he found out that it was the last clean blanket in the house. Hwoarang snored again, louder this time, his mouth wide; then rolled onto his side, facing away from Ling. _

_Xiao watched him for a few minutes, lost again in the never ending, heart wrenching loop._

_"Shit!"_

_Ling's head whipped around to the sound of a loud whisper coming from the kitchen area of the house. Dim light played across the beige tile. She swung her legs off the couch and stood, carefully dodging the creaking floorboards to her right, and stepping gingerly over Hwoarang. As Xiaoyu inched towards the kitchen on tip toe, she heard the sound of someone rummaging through the cabinets._

_"Where the hell did she hide the Whiskey?" a whispered voice drifted across the room._

"_Jules, what are you doing?" the young Chinese girl asked._

_Julia quickly spun away from the opened cabinet and faced her friend. She looked disheveled, her hair was a mess, her clothes were smeared with dirt and grime, and black mascara tracks could be seen running down her pale cheeks._

_"Nothing," she said quickly, too quickly, "go back to bed Ling." And with that dismissal, Julia wiped her nose with the back of her hand, and turned back to the cupboard to continue her search. "Where the fuck did she put it! I saw it here earlier, it's not like it could have grown legs and walked away." _

_Hurt, Xiao stayed where she was, "Julia what's wrong? Please talk to me."_

_"No." Julia growled, she had moved on to the refrigerator and was moving the items around inside, reaching far into the back, "I can't believe she thinks she can hide it from me, like I'm not gonna be able to find it."_

_Xiaoyu was feeling helpless and angry, but the anger was overriding every other emotion._

_"Damnit Julia, why won't you talk to me? I know what you're going through, because I'm going through it too."_

_"Aha!" Julia exclaimed as she pulled out a brown paper sack from the back of the fridge. She closed the door, and opened the bag, and produced a glass bottle of Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 Whiskey. Julia turned to Ling with a delirious smile on her face, "You'd think she would have picked a better, less obvious hiding spot. Guess mom thinks I'm too much of a good girl to do something so stupid, huh?" She took a swig, gagging slightly as it burned her throat on the way down._

_"Where have you been?"_

_"Out," was Julia's vague reply right before she took another swig._

_"Have you been drinking?" Ling asked; shock evident in her tone of voice._

_"Wow, Ling," Julia said, eyes wide with mock surprise, "you sure are smart. However did you figure that one out? Guess you're not such a dumbass after all."_

_Xiao cringed slightly at Julia's harsh words, but reminded herself that Julia wasn't acting normal, that it was the alcohol talking. Or was it? Did Julia really think her friend was a dumbass?_

_"Julia, why won't you talk to me? Don't you remember when we used to tell each other everything?"_

_Julia narrowed her eyes, "There's nothing to talk about. And anyway, the old days are dead. They died along with Jin."_

_"That's not true. We can talk about this, because what you're going through, I'm experiencing it too. I just lost my best friend in the entire world, we buried him today, and he's never coming back." A sob escaped her lips, and Ling burst into tears. _

_"I highly doubt that you know what I'm going through," Julia whispered, her voice dripping with rage, "the man you love is still alive and kicking, passed out on my living room floor. And the man I loved…love, the man I would have given everything up for, is dead," black tears began to leak from her smudged eyes with each word, her chest rising and falling rapidly with each heaving breath, "I'm never gonna see him again, never see him smile at me, never have his arms wrapped around me, and know that nothing in this world could touch me with him near." She took a step towards Ling, her fury mounting, "after all is said and done, you tell me who's got the better deal here; you or me?"_

_Xiaoyu blinked, "Julia, I—,"_

_"I don't want to hear it." Julia snapped, she walked around the smaller girl, knocking her with her shoulder as she passed. Xiao stumbled back a step, bringing a hand up to her shoulder, feeling a bruise already beginning to form. She watched Julia stalk down the hallway to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her._

/// 

"The next morning," Hwoarang said staring at his hands, "Michele went into her room to wake her up for breakfast and found it completely empty. The drawers to her dresser were pulled open, emptied of her clothes, as was her closet. Her clothes and a few pictures were the only things missing from her room. Nothing else was touched. And the thing that killed Xiao and her mom, was that there was no note whatsoever from Julia. Nothing to tell us where she was going, or what she was planning; she simply vanished. Along with my motorcycle." Hwoarang sighed.

"That must have killed you." Jin said, deadpan.

"Yeah, it did. That was my favorite bike, my only bike at the time." Hwoarang said sadly.

Hwoarang glanced up from his hands and looked at the digital alarm clock on the desk to his left, the glowing green numbers read: 5:07 p.m.

"Damn, where does the time go?" 'Rang asked as he stood up from his position on the chair, "I gotta jet, I've got somewhere I gotta be."

"What?" Jin asked, surprised, "We're not done here, I still have more questions. You haven't told me everything."

"Excuse me Kazama," The Korean said, a frown beginning to take form on his forehead, "just because you decided to come back from the dead doesn't mean I have to put everything on hold to cater to your needs. I have a life and things that I have to take care of." He brushed passed Jin, and walked towards the door, opening it. With one foot over the threshold, Hwoarang stopped and turned to face Jin.

"Are you ever going to reveal yourself to her in this lifetime?"

Uncertainty flashed over Jin's face before he spoke, "I-I don't know."

Hwoarang looked him in the eye, "You feel like Frankenstein, don't you?"

"What?"

"Julia's the Monster to your Frankenstein," 'Rang clarified, "In a way you feel responsible for her actions because of the hell you put her through. And you're afraid to face her, because by doing so, you'll be forced to confront your demons."

Jin stared at his old rival in utter shock, "Since when did you become so insightful?"

'Rang shrugged, "I told you I've changed."

"You weren't kidding."

"She took it really hard after your death," 'Rang continued quietly, "I mean, its really no surprise, she loved you. But I'm sure she still carries the weight of it on her shoulders to this day. And you don't even care."

"Of course I care!" Jin yelled, he was suddenly out of his seat, "I care more than you'll ever know. It killed me to have to leave her."

"Then why won't you go see her face to face, and end her self-loathing?"

"It's complicated," Jin looked down at his feet.

"That's bullshit Kazama, quit being a fucking pussy." Hwoarang snapped.

Jin's head whipped up to glare at him, "You'll never even begin to understand the hell I've been through these last two years. None of you will. So don't stand there and lecture me about what I'm doing is wrong. You have no idea what has happened to me," he faltered a little, his eyes looking past 'Rang, unseeing, "I don't even understand what is happening to me."

"You're right. That was out of line."

Hwoarang stepped out onto the brightly lit balcony of the motel, the cool breeze coming off the ocean ruffled his flaming red hair and turned to Jin, "Today's Wednesday," he suddenly declared.

"So?" Jin placed a hand on the door knob.

"_So,_ if you want to spy on Julia again tonight, you're gonna have to haul your ass up to Laurel Canyon."

"Why?" Jin asked, he was at a loss.

"Because," Hwoarang said, zipping up his jacket, "Julia races dirt bikes out there. She does it every week. She's got this nasty habit of putting herself in danger. Watch your back." The Korean left Jin standing in the doorway and made his way down the stairs, to the parking lot. He hopped on his bike and sped out, and onto the street; disappearing into traffic.

/// 

"_Julia, can I come in?" The voice on the other side of her bedroom door asked._

_"Yeah," Julia answered, from her position at the window seat._

_The door opened and Michele Chang entered, dressed in a sophisticated black dress, black tights. And black pumps completed her mourner's outfit. For today was Jin's memorial service._

_Michele crossed the room and sat down on the window seat opposite Julia._

_"Honey," Michele began, taking in the sight of her daughter still in her night clothes, "you're going to have to get ready soon. The service is in an hour."_

_"I know," Julia said, not looking at her mother, but staring out the window, unblinking._

_Michele shifted in her seat, "Jules, I know you're going through something horrible right now. And I'm here for you if you want to talk about it."_

_Julia looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, a curtain of hair blocking her face from view._

_"I really don't want to talk about it," she whispered from behind her hair._

_Michele nodded and stood up, walking to the door, she stopped with her hand on the knob._

_"I'll be downstairs if you need me." She opened the door, but the sound of Julia's torn voice halted her movements._

_"I couldn't save him, not like I did for you. I should have gone against his orders and followed him to the temple's main chamber. But I didn't, and now he's dead."_

_"There was nothing you could have done sweetheart, nothing. Don't beat yourself up over it. He wanted you to be safe, and he got his wish." Michele protested, when Julia didn't respond, she turned and left, closing the door softly behind her._

_"You're wrong, all of you are wrong," Julia said out loud to the quiet bedroom. She moved from the window to her dresser where her purse was resting, unzipping it, she pulled out a pack of Marlboro Light 100s. Smacking the pack against the heel of her hand, a slender white tobacco stick slipped out. She took it and brought it to her lips, and lit it with the silver Zippo lighter that was lying next to her cheerleading trophy. _

_She sucked in the gray smoke, and held her breath. Keeping the tainted air trapped in her lungs. Feeling lightheaded, she let it out through her nose. Julia repeated this until only a nub of the cigarette was left. Blowing out a final puff of smoke, Julia rolled up her sleeve so the flesh of her left forearm was showing. She turned her arm, the veins in her wrist visible, and brought the burning cigarette down on her skin. She rubbed the tip deep into her arm, until she heard the telltale hissing sound of skin sizzling. The acrid smell quickly filled the room and Julia gnashed her teeth against the pain._

_But this pain was nothing compared to the turmoil she felt raging inside her. If anything, it gave her a moment's peace. With the cigarette out, she pulled her sleeve down to cover the charred black circle on her arm. _

_A small smile twitched at the corners of her mouth._

_"I can make it go away, even if it'll take me an entire box of cigarettes."_

**A/N:** So that was the fourth chapter. How was it? I don't know if I like it. I'm still a little iffy about it, I saw these scenes in my head, but writing it down was harder than I thought. But even with all my doubts, at least its setting things in motion for future chapters and moving the plot along. Tell me what you think. Thanks in advance.


End file.
